Australopithecus Afarensis

   
  Background
Australopithecus Afarensis

Australopithecus Afarensis, or "Lucy" as she is commonly known, is believed to be the oldest found fossil of the hominid family. Through carbon dating, Lucy's fossils have been dated to be as old as 3.18 million years. Australopithecus Afarensis was a carnivore. But, he did not hunt for his meat. Australopithecine was a scavenger. Lucy is believed to have stood at about three-and-a-half feet tall, and weighed about 60 to 65 pounds when she died.
  How Australopithecus Afarensis Was Found
  A group of archaeologists found Lucy while searching for fossils in Ethiopia. The two scientists were hard at work that day, so when they took a shortcut back to their safari vehicle, they surveyed a gully and found bones hidden beneath the moist land. She was given her peculiar name when the song "Lucy in the Sky With Dimonds" by the Beatles was playing during a celebration for the finding of her fossils.
  The Way of Life for Australopithecine
Australopithecus Walking As mentioned above, the Australopithecus Afarensis was a scavenger. Because of this, the Australopithecus Aferensis is believed to have been a nomad, never staying in one place as they looked for food on the African savanna. But the downside of being a scavenger was that Australopithecus Aferensis did not develop the ability to hunt, which ultimately caused them to become extinct. In life, Australopithecus Afarensis was also a hominid that lived in groups.
  Competing in a Changing World
  Australopithecus lived during a "cross-road" of the evolutionary timeline. This was a time when Australopithecus was not the only genus of the hominid branch to walk the Earth. Paranthropus Boisei the vegetarian and Homo Habilis the hunter were also competitors in the evolutionary race. Because Australopithecine were not able to adapt to meet the demands of a changing landscape, food became scarce and the end of the Australopithecine was inevitable.

 

Australopithecus Afarensis Quiz

 
1. Using carbon dating archaeologists estimate that Australopithecus Afarensis' fossils are...
a) 8.31 million years old.
b) 831 thousand years old.
c) 318 thousand years old.
d) 3.18 million years old.

2. Where were Lucy's fossils found?
a) Antartica
b) Ethiopia
c) Europe
d) North America

3. Australopithecus Afarensis was a nomad, which means that...
a) they did not eat meat.
b) australopithecus hunted for their food.
c) australopithecus refused to hunt.
d) they moved from place to place in search of food.

4. Australopithecus Afarensis did not survive the evolutionary competition because...
a) they did not adapt to a changing environment.
b) the other hominids during that time found other ways to survive.
c) A and B
d) tribal wars killed many of them.

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  Copyright 2006, Rene Canales